Comcast, NBCUniversal double commitment to 'Hiring Our Heroes'

by jmaloni

Press release

Fri, Mar 8th 2013 07:00 am

Company reaches goal of
hiring 1,000 veterans two years ahead of schedule, and commits to hiring an
additional 1,000 veterans over the next two years

Comcast Corp., a global media and technology company, has announced that
Comcast and NBCUniversal have achieved their publicly announced three-year goal
of hiring 1,000 veterans as part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's
"Hiring Our Heroes" initiative two years ahead of schedule - and that it will
double its pledge by committing to hire an additional 1,000 U.S. veterans by
2015.

"Hiring Our Heroes" launched in March 2011 as a nationwide effort to help
veterans and military spouses find meaningful employment. As a key partner in
this effort, Comcast and NBCUniversal have hired 1,000 veterans in the past
year to work in a variety of positions at all levels, including network
engineering, technology, operations, theme parks and resorts, programming,
customer service, marketing, human resources and other careers. Comcast and
NBCUniversal's pledge contributes to the chamber's "Hiring 500,000 Heroes"
campaign, the largest private sector commitment of its kind with a goal of
hiring half a million veterans and military spouses by the end of 2014.

To date, businesses have pledged to hire more than 210,000 veterans and
military spouses, and 93,000 hires have been confirmed.

"Comcast and NBCUniversal are thrilled to have reached our original hiring
commitment early," said William Strahan, executive vice president of human
resources for Comcast Cable. "We have had the privilege of hiring extremely
talented men and women over the last year and we look forward to making our
workforce even stronger with our next wave of veterans joining our team."

"To move the needle on veteran unemployment, it will take companies increasing
their levels of veteran hiring, and Comcast and NBCUniversal have stepped up to
do just that," said Lt. Col. Kevin Schmiegel (ret.), executive director of
Hiring Our Heroes. "Comcast and NBCUniversal are among the biggest supporters
of our program and, through their dedication and leadership, we are seeing a
difference in how businesses across America are recognizing the value in hiring
a veteran."

Comcast and NBCUniversal have fostered a culture that supports veterans and
reservists within its ranks. Veterans are invited to join employee resource
groups where there is a community among veterans. The Comcast and NBCUniversal
Veterans Network employee resource groups serve as a base of support for
members, in several ways, including a mentoring program and events focused on
growing the professional and personal development of veterans and their allies.

Additionally, NBC News created the "Making a Difference on the
Homefront" news series in an effort to shine a light on veterans, military
families and the issues affecting them across the country. NBC Publishing also
just released a free enhanced eBook and guide for veterans, "Heroes Get Hired:
How to Use Your Military Experience to Master the Interview" (downloadable at http://www.heroesgethired.com/).

This summer, NBC News and the chamber will launch a jobs and education
resource portal to connect veterans and their families with up-to-date tools
and information to help them in their transition after returning home from
military service. The centralized hub will feature the best resources from
leading industry partners, in addition to NBC News features, and family, spouse
and community resources.

"Our goal is to offer veterans tangible tools that help them with their
transition back into the workforce and civilian life," commented Beth Colleton,
senior vice president, corporate social responsibility, NBCUniversal. "We look
forward to working with the entire Comcast and NBCUniversal family in
collaboration with stellar partners like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Foundation to continue to expand our veteran initiatives."

Comcast is also offering its programming resources to help veterans find
careers with other employers through programs such as the "Hire a Veteran" On
Demand on Xfinity TV initiative, as well as engaging in numerous partnerships
with veteran serving organizations in local communities. From March 15-28, "Hiring
Our Heroes" will host a series of major job fairs in different communities
across America, including Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles, Chicago,
Fort Hood, Fayetteville and Dayton, with support from Comcast and NBCUniversal.

In November, Comcast and NBCUniversal were honored by the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce and National Chamber Foundation with the 2nd annual "Hiring
Our Heroes" Lee Anderson Award. This award recognized Comcast and NBCUniversal's
dedication to addressing the challenges faced by veterans, transitioning
service members and military families in their search for meaningful employment.

Comcast Cable is a global media and technology company with two primary
businesses, Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal. Comcast Cable is the nation's
largest video, high-speed Internet and phone provider to residential customers
under the XFINITY brand and also provides these services to businesses.
NBCUniversal operates 30 news and entertainment cable networks, the NBC and
Telemundo broadcast networks, television production operations, television
station groups, Universal Pictures and Universal Parks and Resorts.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation (USCCF) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit
affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce dedicated to strengthening America's
long-term competitiveness by addressing developments that affect this nation, its
economy, and the global business environment.